The packaging industry, particularly in the packaging of snack foods, uses conveyors to transport product to be packaged to spaced packaging locations. At each location there are typically a weighing machine and a packaging machine that place weighed batches of product in bags.
The conveyors need to feed sufficient product to each packaging machine. Accordingly, at spaced locations along the conveyor, product is removed and delivered to the packaging machine. Typically, the product is removed by having the conveyors provided with gates that are opened and closed and through which the product is removed from the conveyor and delivered to a further conveyor extending to the associated packaging machine. Typically, these further conveyors are transverse of the primary conveyor.
A known conveyor is a slip conveyor. A slip conveyor has a conveyor surface that is vibrated longitudinally to transport product longitudinally of the conveyor. Where a number of conveyor surfaces are provided, it is known to displace the conveyor surfaces longitudinally to provide a gap between adjacent surfaces through which product is delivered.
The above-discussed conveyor arrangements have a number of disadvantages including insufficient control of the delivery of product to the transverse conveyors and problems with respect to cleaning.